Sweet moments that welcome life Behind This Newborn’s ‘Pout’ Face

For years HuffPost Parents has shared the beauty of the ʙɪʀᴛʜ experience through the lens of talented photographers. In a new series were focusing on one story at a time honoring the many different ways babies come into the world and the beauty of every familys story. This week were hearing from Ashlee Wilkenson 29 who had photographer Rebecca Walsh working for Denverbased ʙɪʀᴛʜ photographer Monet Nicole shoot the ʙɪʀᴛʜ of her fifth baby at home in Colorado.
In her own words Wilkenson describes how unpredictable ᴄʜɪʟᴅʙɪʀᴛʜ can be no matter how many times youve been through it. I have five children. My eldest is 6 years old and then Ive had four babies in the last four years. Its been interesting! I ʜᴀᴅ ᴍʏ ꜰɪʀsᴛ ʙᴀʙʏ in a hospital and then all of my ᴅᴇʟɪᴠᴇʀɪᴇs after have been home ʙɪʀᴛʜs. With my first I ʟᴀʙᴏʀᴇᴅ for maybe 24 hours and I think it would have taken longer if I hadnt been ɢɪᴠᴇɴ Pɪᴛᴏᴄɪɴ. Then with my second I had probably two hours of active ʟᴀʙᴏʀ. My third was maybe three? My fourth was 14 hours long and extremely ᴘᴀɪɴꜰᴜʟ from the beginning.

Because of that I went into my most recent ʙɪʀᴛʜ knowing to expect the unexpected but also with a clear sense of what I hoped for if possible. I wanted my husband to ᴄᴀᴛᴄʜ the baby. And it was really important for me to try and have some peace and quiet right after the baby ᴡᴀs ʙᴏʀɴ. At 39 weeks I went to bed like usual and then woke up maybe 45 minutes later to a ɢɪᴀɴᴛ ᴄᴏɴᴛʀᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛᴏɴs ᴏꜰ ᴘʀᴇssᴜʀᴇ. I felt like the baby was right there. I do have a history of some really fast ʟᴀʙᴏʀs but Ive also had some long ones so I